Monday, Monday

How quickly our time off ends, how slowly our work week progresses...

It's back to school today, and no, my son isn't looking forward to it.  While he much prefers homeschooling, he hates the fact that his friends are off from school this week for spring break.  I'm sure it won't be as bad as he thinks; thanks to technology, he's able to play games and chat with his buddies without having to leave the house.  Boy, it sure was different when I was growing up!  The most I could do was talk on the phone, and since there was only one line (no call waiting back then) my dad would get mad if we were on the phone more than 10 minutes.  His logic was, phones should only be used in emergencies.  If you want to talk to people, go see them in person.  I don't think my dad would approve of the texting generation.

My face was still broken out on Saturday despite taking Benadryl the night before, which was weird, but it wasn't spreading or getting worse, so I did my normal morning routine.  The only thing I left out was the Mineralixer oil from Bare Minerals I've been trying out; I figured it was the newest thing I'd added to my skincare regimen so I should leave it out.

I woke up with a ton of energy.  I started cleaning the hallway bathroom and looked at the walls.  When we remodeled the bathrooms back in 2009, I'd painted the hall bathroom in an olive-y kind of green.  I love color, and I'm not afraid to use darker tones on the walls.  It looked pretty when I first did it, but after 6 years the paint was looking dull and dirty.  Add to that the fact that this is the room where my daughter does her makeup, and she complains that there isn't enough light in the bathroom.  I tried doing my makeup in there, and I had to agree.  So I looked through the paints I had in the garage, and found some leftover tan color paint from my bedroom.  It's a color I like to call "cafe con leche" (coffee with milk).  While it isn't necessarily a light color, it is lighter than the green, and any amount of lightness would help.  It's a tiny bathroom, so it neither needed much paint nor time, but it's hard to paint because it is so small a space.  Getting the ladder around was tricky, and the paint tray had to stay in the hallway because it wouldn't fit in the bathroom.  Still, it got done in about an hour, and it looks nice and clean.  The color isn't bold like the green was, but I think my daughter will appreciate the brightness a lighter color brings.

I got both bathrooms cleaned, then went back to Pep Boys to get my tires balanced.  I'd gotten new tires last Sunday, and when I got on the expressway Thursday for my hair appointment, the car was shaking like there was an earthquake.  Scared me a bit, I've got to say.  So I had that taken care of, then headed over to Payless Shoe Source.  I had a 15% off coupon so I figured it wouldn't hurt to see what they had.  Lately I'd been disappointed with the selection at Payless; the shoes were overpriced knock-offs that weren't comfortable or even pretty.  This time I had a much better experience.  They've got their summer sandals and shoes, and I found two pairs of wedges that are not only cute but very comfy to walk around in!  The selection at this particular Payless was slim - I don't know if they haven't received the newer stock or if they sold out - but I got a pair in black with brown straps and a pair in a nice cream color with espadrille heels.

  
I especially love the black ones!  I wore them to church yesterday and they are super comfortable to walk in!

Sunday morning, very first thing in the morning, I got a visit from my monthly friend.  There went my energy level, down the drain.  I was dragging my feet all day yesterday.  My stomach felt like it had rocks in it, my back was achy and I sat around doing nothing - well no, not exactly nothing; I did a bunch of laundry.  I still have to fold it, though.  But at least the day wasn't a total waste.

One thing I did notice this morning - the breakout on my face has almost completely disappeared, which means it wasn't an allergy like I'd thought.  It was purely hormonal.  It's rough being a girl, let me tell you.

It's just about time to start school, so I say farewell for now, and to all, have a blessed week.

Monday, Monday

I'm sitting here enjoying a piping hot bowl of chicken and dumplings in hopes that it will counteract the cold that wants to take over my chest.  How it invaded my body I don't know, but I will do whatever it takes to defeat it.

A quick recap of my goings-on:  Saturday's wedding was absolutely gorgeous (as weddings typically are).  The theme of the wedding was taken from the Disney Pixar movie Up.  The bridesmaids were dressed in '40's style dresses and hairdo's, and the groomsmen wore tan pants and suspenders.  They used the music from the movie to walk down the aisle which was precious.  The table centerpieces were hot air balloons with flowers in the baskets.  I really should have taken pictures, but as usual I didn't think of it.  My daughter took some, though.  She was enthralled with the decor and the theme.  The only drawback was the weather.  It was supposed to be an outdoor wedding, but we had the worst rainstorm I've seen all winter.  It wasn't raining, it was monsooning.  The Lord protected us, because the rain didn't start till about 15 minutes after we arrived.  You couldn't see outside it was coming down so hard.  The poor bride was in tears; it was her dream to have an outdoor wedding, and it was just impossible to do.  What's surprising is that we hadn't gotten much rain the entire month of February, yet it rained on and off all day long with such a vengeance.  Still, the wedding went off beautifully despite the little setback, and now the bride and groom are in Tokyo for their honeymoon.  I don't think I've ever seen the groom so happy, and I've known him for years.  What a joy to be able to share such an important day with the family.

I was already starting to feel the effects of a cold coming on, but it wasn't until yesterday afternoon that I was uncomfortable enough to take some Mucinex.  I've started the next big project here at the house: organizing the garage.  I threw out a bunch of stuff already, and my son R took 2/3 of the rotted wall unit to the dump.  I spent several hours cleaning, moving, trashing and taking the wall unit apart.  I left only the section with the food.  Although I have a little pantry in the kitchen, it's just that: a little pantry.  Some of the food has been moved out to the garage, and the storage is not right for what we need.  My plan, Lord willing, is to rent a pick-up truck from Lowe's and get the storage units from there as well.  That will have to be done Friday, since we have school and work all week.  The garage looks neater already, and it's still a mess!  I'm really looking forward to having everything in its proper place.  The other thing I'm planning on getting is a small freezer, so that I can buy meats on sale and have a place to put them.  Back in 2000 when we moved to this house, it seemed so enormous.  Now we're busting at the seams.  Even with all the junk I threw out there's still a ton of stuff in the garage.  Time to purge, purge, purge!

That's it for this edition of My Life.  I'll try to get a more detailed post in later.  For now, God bless and have a lovely day :-).

Monday, Monday

Happy President's Day!  Or as we used to say when I was a kid, George Washington's birthday.  It used to be specifically about George Washington, then about Washington and Lincoln, then about all the presidents.  Our poor first president has gotten lost in the shuffle.

I didn't post yesterday because, quite frankly, I was being lazy.  I went to church by myself because my darling little boy woke up with pink eye.  Not something he wanted to go sharing with the other parishioners.  When I told a couple of my friends about the job they were thrilled for me, which made me feel even better about taking it.  Surprisingly, I'm not the least bit nervous.  The only thing I keep thinking about is how I'm going to manage my time so that I get everything done and still get where I need to be on time.  I hate being late anywhere, and I hate when others are late, something I've had to get used to in this South Florida laid back culture.  I want to make sure my family and my employers are taken care of, and that means making sure I manage my time wisely.

After making lunch and putting one load of laundry in the wash, I pretty much sat in front of my computer and watched YouTube videos most of the day.  I did do my Bible study, but that was it.  I didn't even put the laundry away.  As I sat there mindlessly watching other women talk about makeup and fashion and weight loss and blah-blah-blah, I realized why I was having so much trouble figuring out how to manage my time.  I've become an expert at wasting it.  This has happened in the last couple of months, and I'm only now seeing how bad it's gotten.  Well, that's gonna have to change.  And fast.

I've decided there's only two YouTubers that I'm going to watch whenever they have videos because they're my favorites: Shelbey Ashburn and Alex Garza.  Oh, and Angie at Hot and Flashy.  The first two are young girls.  I've been watching Shelbey particularly because she does a lot of Bare Minerals videos, especially new product reviews which I enjoy.  Angie is a year older than me and does videos geared towards women my age.  I'm going to watch their videos when I have time, which will most likely be on the weekends, since my weekdays will be packed.  Today I haven't watched any videos, and I've managed to do another load of laundry, put all the clean clothes away, vacuum and mop the floors, cook a chicken pot pie from scratch, take the car in for an oil change, and even watch a couple of episodes of the Tonight Show.  I've also got some pot roast meat on the counter which I'm going to put in the crock pot tonight so I don't have to worry about cooking tomorrow.  MM has asked me to go in early so she can give me some training, so I won't have time to be in the kitchen cooking.  I have lessons to go over with E before I leave for the school.  I told her I'd be there between 12:30 and 1:00, and I want to be sure I don't leave any loose ends.

I did go online for something else: dress shopping.  I still wanted to find a dress for this wedding, but I'm tired of going to the stores and finding nothing.  Either the clothes were for girls in their 20's, or they were for women in their 60's.  I fall into neither category, and I certainly don't want to dress like I do.  I decided to check out New York and Company again.  Score!  They had a really good sale, and I found a black velvet Eva Mendes dress on clearance for - get this - $23.98!  It is such a pretty dress, in just the right style and color to be appropriate for a special occasion.  I know I'll get some use out it.  It better fit too - since it's on clearance I can't return it.  I'm normally a size 10 in their dresses.  I really hope that's the case with this one, because quite frankly, it looks perfect.  I can't wait to get it and see how it looks!

Our temperatures are going haywire again.  Yesterday we awoke to 41 degree weather; today it was 56.  Tomorrow it's supposed to get up into the low 80's, then dip down into the 40's overnight.  It's pretty hilarious; one day we're out in flip-flops and the next day we're wearing boots!  Yes, South Floridians wear boots.  It's quite comical.

I'm gonna shower now, then get that meat in the crock pot before I head on over to bed.  Time management means I've gotta get up early (not just wake up early, but literally get out of bed), and that means getting to sleep early, too.  I'm gonna try to post every other day so my blog doesn't get monotonous, unless something crazy and exciting happens (though not too crazy, I hope).  Good night, ya'll.  

Monday, Monday

The problem with a busy weekend, is getting back into the swing of things.  Maybe that's why everyone hates Mondays so much.  It's hard to recover from a weekend of non-stop fun.

I did try to get up early today.  I tried to get school started on time.  But it was like we were all running low on gas.  There was so much I needed to get done that didn't get done over the weekend and certainly didn't all get done today.  How does one get caught up?  How does one eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.  That's the way it's gonna be this week.  I hope.

The only housework I managed to get done was laundry, and I'm not done.  I got everything into the washer and dryer, but nothing is folded or put away.  I sat and did school with my son for most of the day, and he finished 3 out of 4 assignments that were due.  Algebra is giving him a run for his money.  He's still working on statistics, and today it was all about correlation and causation.  It gave him a headache.  That's what happens when he's trying to understand something and it doesn't click.  I finally said he needed to walk away, and we'd work on it again tomorrow.  I think there's a lot he gets, but the actual process he's not fully understanding, and he gets frustrated.  Thankfully he has 2 live lessons tomorrow and one assignment to do, so there'll be plenty of time to work on algebra.

I got an interesting phone call today.  It was from my daughter's boss.  Typically that wouldn't happen, but her bosses are friends of mine from church.  MM called and asked if I would be willing to meet with her husband JM this week.  I agreed to see him tomorrow at 4:00.  At no time did she tell me what it was about, and I didn't ask.  Like I said, they're friends.  If they want to see me, I'm happy to oblige.  But when my daughter came home she was all questions, and wanted to know if they'd told me anything.  I calmly said no, just to go and meet with JM.  Then she said, "Would you like to know what it's about?"  I'll admit I was somewhat curious, but not enough to beg and plead with her to tell me.  I'm quite patient; I can wait till tomorrow to find out.  She, on the other hand, couldn't wait to let me know what she knows.  She told me JM asked if I was looking for work.  I'm not, but who knows?  The school where she works is an after school tutoring school.  It would mean working in the afternoons/evenings.  I'm gonna have to pray about this tonight, and ask for guidance.  God provides in the most unexpected ways.

That's it for today.  It's been all about school, a pretty ordinary day, except for that one minor detail.  Tomorrow is another day.  Let's see what God has in store.  Good night everybody.

Monday, Monday

Monday is a fresh start.  It's never too late to dig in and begin a new journey of success.

Mondays are always busy for me.  A new school week, new menu plan, new items to add to the old schedule.  I don't hate Mondays, though.  I look at it as a new beginning.

School started at 10:00 am today.  We were all kind of slow this morning because it was so dark out.  It was a hot and muggy day, totally the opposite of yesterday with its cool breezes and clear skies.  We got rain on and off all morning, and even when the breezes picked up in the afternoon, they were warmer than what we'd gotten the past week.  Of course, it's supposed to get back down into the 50's tonight, so the weather roller coaster ride continues.  

So anyway, school began with music, Hope, and science.  At noon my son paused to take his algebra online class, and I made Southwestern style chicken soup.  Days like these call for soup.  I'd bought everything to make the soup except the tortilla chips, because I knew we had some.  What I didn't know was that they'd gone a bit stale.  I still ate them, but my son E wasn't too happy.  Oh well.

After lunch we finished working on science, and he took his quiz.  He's got a 90% so far, but the teacher has to grade a couple of essay questions.  It was a normal sort of day; he got all his work done and completed his required 5 hours, so we're both happy.  It looks like it might be a slower day tomorrow, but we'll take it one day at a time.  He's doing well so far, so I'm pleased.

I started working on my daughter's taxes.  It looks like she's gonna have to pay, which she's not happy about.  She has to pay her own taxes for her church job, and while we did the worksheet and figured out how much she needed to pay, it seems it was short.  I'm looking to see what can be done additionally to get the amount down.  I feel bad for her; she was counting on getting some money back, but instead she's gonna have to dish out about $200.  That's gonna put a dent in her savings for sure.

I have to share this amazing quote from Beth Moore from the Daniel bible study:  "A sovereign, powerful God sits upon His throne, and nothing misses His gaze.  He will right all wrongs.  I do not know how, but I know Who."  Amen!  Thank You Jesus!

And with that beautiful thought I leave, saying Goodnight and Pleasant Dreams.  God bless.

Monday, Monday

The cold weather continues here in South Florida.  It didn't get above 67 degrees today.  (I can just imagine my sister's face as she reads this; it's 25 degrees in New York where she lives, and there is a snow blizzard coming through).  We should be having this kind of weather all week.

Today was the start of the second semester of homeschooling.  My son has a new teacher for his Hope class, and a new teacher in Algebra.  His previous algebra teacher is still his "official" teacher, but she has a new teacher that she tag-teams with to do live lessons.  It was a pretty easy day today; he had his Algebra lesson along with a couple of videos, music, Hope, and science.  Music and Hope were both intros, and science was a pretest which doesn't count towards his grade.  He did some reading as well.  We were sitting in the dining room going over his Hope lesson, when E says, "Oh look, it's raining."  I looked out the window but I thought he was joking.  It was kind of cloudy but I couldn't see any rain.  Then he said, "I think you should close the windows, Mom, it's raining."  I looked again but couldn't really see anything.  Then I got up and noticed that it was indeed drizzling, and the wind was picking up, so he and I went around closing windows.  We got done just in time - it started to downpour with a vengeance!  The wind was blowing hard, too; a couple of palm fronds came crashing down from being blown off the trees.  It lasted not more than 15 minutes, then stopped as quickly as it started.  Within a half hour the sun was out, the sky was baby blue and all the clouds were gone.  It did its job, though; it was cool and windy the rest of the day.

While my son watched his videos and did his live lesson, I folded laundry, tidied up the house, then made some spicy beef and black bean chili with cornbread.  Those types of hearty comfort foods are perfect on days like today!  E finished with his schoolwork at 3:30, and I took myself out to the jungle known as our backyard.  It doesn't take a whole lot of rain to get the yard overgrown.  I had cleaned up the garden area, but I hadn't had a chance to mow the lawn or get rid of some of the branches.  I didn't even think I'd get a chance to do it today, what with that sudden rainstorm, but everything dried up pretty quick.  The weather was perfect for being outside.  I cut up a few palm fronds and put them in the trash bin, then moved the remaining ones behind the shed.  After that I got to mowing, then sweeping up some of the leaves in the front yard.  All in all it took me 2 hours to get all the yardwork done, but it looks a thousand times better.  There's still some trimming that has to get done, but I was tired, dirty, and hungry.  Besides, two hours of cardio is enough exercise for this lady for one day :-).

I got myself cleaned up, then decided to give myself a manicure.  My nails grow, but they are so thin and fragile that they break constantly.  Even with me taking vitamins everyday, they still chip and break easily.  I'm thinking I have to look for something that will strengthen them good.  I've tried Sally Hansen but those products tend to make my nails brittle, which in turn makes them break even faster.  Maybe what I need is a nail oil or something.  I'm gonna have to look into that.  Anybody got any suggestions?

The day is just about done; well, not quite, it's only 8:30.  I've cleaned up and all, so I think I'll take it easy the rest of the evening.  Goodnight ya'll.  Pleasant dreams.

Monday, Monday

I feel like I'm starting off the week right.  I'm getting back into my groove.  It's a good way to start the week, especially on the day everyone hates.

I woke up once in the middle of the night, and prayed that God would take any unnecessary thoughts out of my head so I could go back to sleep.  It worked.  I dozed off till 6:00.  I got up at 7:00, after spending some time with the Lord, and got my day started.  My cousin was bringing the kids over today, since there's no school (Martin Luther King Jr. day).  I figured they'd be here between 8:30 and 9:00, so I had to get moving.  I had already decided what we were gonna have for lunch/dinner: spaghetti with meat sauce, breadsticks, and salad.  I needed to get the sauce in the crock pot early.  I don't care for sauce in a jar, so I make my own.  It's so simple, yet so much better (and healthier) than anything in the stores, and it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.  A couple cans of crushed tomatoes, garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, one dried bay leaf, sofrito (made with onion, green pepper, garlic and cilantro), olive oil, salt and pepper.  Throw all the ingredients in the crock pot, and in 3 hours you have sauce.  Done.  The meat gets added later.  For breakfast, I decided to make pancakes.  I like buttermilk pancakes, again from scratch, because in my opinion they are just as easy to make as the boxed version, only they don't taste like a cardboard box.  I made a batch, along with bacon,  Oh, my kids love me, and now you know why.

As I was finishing whipping up our breakfast, the kids arrived.  They were actually late; it was after 9:00 when their dad dropped them off.  They brought bags of cereal that they had for breakfast, as we sat down to our pancakes.  Once I got the dishes in the sink the kids immediately asked to play a board game.  They brought Monopoly Jr., which they'd gotten for Christmas.  Over the summer I babysat them everyday, and we played at least 2 board games daily.  They loved coming over to my house because I took the time to play with them and teach them games.  I believe board games are so much better than video games; they're more interactive, and require more thinking.  While video games can be good for motor skills, so can card games.  The best part is, with board games you're looking at your opponent in the eye, rather than at a television screen.  I'm not opposed to video games; I just think there's better stuff out there.  So we played a game of Monopoly Jr. (totally fun), then my son R came out and started playing on his Wii U.  And they were gone.  For the next 2 hours.  Oh well, at least I was able to keep them focused for a little while.

I took advantage of those 2 hours and got some cleaning done.  Yesterday, as I was folding laundry, I tried to plug a light into the wall and accidentally knocked down my Dyson vacuum cleaner, the one that's been out of commission for the past few weeks.  I'd tried taking it apart to figure out why it wouldn't stand upright or work properly, but to no avail, so I had it in my room as I tried to decide whether to get it fixed or not.  As I picked it up to put it back where I'd had it, I realized what the problem was.  A piece, conveniently located right in front of another piece that I had taken apart and put back together, was out of place.  I moved it back to where it was supposed to go, and voila!  The vacuum cleaner was upright again.  Since it was already late at night I hadn't tested it, but I did try it out today.  It works like a dream.  To think I'd done so much to try and fix it, yet in one split second it was up and running.  All I could do was shake my head.

My daughter stayed home from work today.  Her throat is sore, her voice is gone, she had a low grade fever, and her sinuses are hurting.  Sounds just like what her brother had.  The good thing is that she's been able to nap during the day.  The bad thing is, she's gotta work tomorrow.  Hopefully she'll feel better in the morning.

After cleaning up I browned the ground beef and added it to the sauce, then made the breadsticks and spaghetti.  I like Pillsbury breadsticks; they taste good and are less messy to make.  As I was pulling the salad fixings out of the fridge, the kid's mom came and brought them pizza.  It's easy to see what their favorite food is: they went at it like piranhas.  I made the salad with a few sweet peppers from my garden, and my one lone tomato which had finally turned red.  It was a tiny little thing, but it packed a lot of sweetness!  I'm hoping it won't be the only tomato I get from that plant.

As I sat down to eat my lunch I took a look at the Bare Escentuals website to see about my order.  I hadn't gotten an email yet but I kind of hoped there would be an update about it shipping (there wasn't).  What I did see that caught my eye:  10% off everything on their website, and free shipping.  Why do they do this to me???  It's like they knew there was something I'd wanted to order but hadn't, so they enticed me with an incredible offer.  I have to admit, I debated back and forth whether to place the order or not.  I went through my makeup, reviewed my budget, and ultimately I got it.  It's a set of 5 eyeliners in different colors: bronze, green, taupe, plum, and gold.  This set normally sells for $29; one Lasting Line eyeliner on its own sells for $16.  This particular set was already on sale for $13; with the discount and tax I ended up paying just over $12.  That's about $2.50 per pencil.  I couldn't let a deal like that slip away!  Besides, I currently have 2 black eyeliners and 3 brown ones.  I also have one called Forever Brandy, which is a sort of burgundy/purple shade.  One of the brown ones is a bronze color, but that would be the only repeat.  I'm excited about having pencils in different colors because, at my age, black is harsh against my skin.  I'll still wear it, because I love black eyeliner, but it's too dramatic for anything other than special occasions.  Lighter colors are more flattering, and these colors will be a perfect fit.

As I was putting the lunch dishes in the dishwater, I asked my 8 year old niece if she'd gotten homework over the weekend.  She said that she had, and that she'd done all of it except for Reading Plus.  Reading Plus is a computer program the kids in public school use to improve their reading skills.  She knew she was supposed to do Reading Plus at my house, but she hadn't mentioned it to me.  When I asked her about it, she said, "I was going to tell you."  Uh-huh.  Like 5 minutes before her grandma picked her up?  Yeah, right kid.  I had her sit down and get to work.  She could have finished quickly, but she's so easily distracted!  Her brothers played on their tablets to keep them quietly occupied (as if it's possible to keep two little boys ages 5 and 7 quiet), and she was almost done by the time her grandma came to get them.  It was sad for me to see their grandma; she had been grandma Maria's primary caretaker for almost 30 years.  Her mother had helped her raise her daughter, and she in turn had cared for her mother in her declining years.  While she smiles and loves on her grandkids, there's definitely a sadness in her eyes, and I'm sure an empty spot in her heart.  We all know grandma Maria is with Jesus and she's no longer suffering.  It's the one comforting thought we have.

Once they were gone I fed Molly, then went to the front yard to trim some trees and bushes that were getting overgrown thanks to last week's rains.  Tomorrow is trash day, so I wanted to get as much debris inside the garbage tank as could fit.  I filled it up but good!  It took me an hour but thankfully the weather has been superb, in the low 70's with a nice breeze, so yard work was actually pleasant.  I had my dinner and rested a bit before taking my shower.  I cleaned up, picked up, and now I can try and plan tomorrow's school day.  Honestly, I have no clue what we're gonna be doing.  E has finished all his assignments; unless there's something he needs to change or correct, he's done, but he has 2 days of school this week.  I'm pretty sure his teachers won't be having any live lessons, since they have to finish grading everyone's final exams.  I'm waiting to see if I get any emails from his teachers, otherwise we're gonna have to figure something out.  Shouldn't be too hard, right?...

With that I will bid everyone a good night, sweet dreams, rest well, and remember, Jesus loves you.

Just Another Manic Monday

I'm usually glad when Mondays roll around, unlike most people.  I appreciate everyday that I wake up and I'm alive.  Unless there are semester finals.  I don't appreciate Mondays quite so much when finals are involved.

I got up later than I normally would (seems like I've been saying that a lot lately) because we went to bed after midnight.  A full day of activities, including concerts, can drain a body.  I made my son a bigger than usual breakfast because he didn't get to eat dinner last night.  We went out for lunch and he did eat, but in the excitement of the night he never mentioned being hungry (though if he was, he sat too far away from me to tell me so).  When we got home it was so late there was no way he was going to eat, so I knew he'd be hungry.  I got myself a bowl of cereal, then reached for my English muffins.  What did I find in the package, but a couple of bugs!  Eww!!  I was so mad - it was an unopened package and I had to throw it all away.  Ugh!  I'm gonna have to figure out if those bugs came from my pantry.  If so, I'm going on the warpath!

My son's schedule showed a full day of work:  an English quiz, Algebra final (in 3 parts), music history final, Hope final and an Algebra live lesson.  I was sure it was going to be as hectic as last week, and he was just as tired as I was, maybe even more so.  We didn't even get started with school till 10:30.  He went to do his Hope final, knowing full well he'd have to pause it at 11:00 for his algebra class, but I knew that wouldn't be a problem.  He got halfway through the test, then went on to his algebra review.  In the meantime, I folded 4 baskets of laundry, then made fried chicken tenders with stuffing and gravy, and corn.  After lunch he finished the exam.  He scored an 84% on his multiple choice; there are 2 short essays that still have to be graded.  I feel like he was distracted, because he has a 93% in that class.  I decided he should take a short break, then we'd review for his music history test.  We went through all his notes and read absolutely everything.  He got a 94% on that test, which I was pleased to see.  Three finals down, three to go!  His algebra teacher had sent an email saying the class was not to start on the algebra final till Wednesday after last review class, so the only thing left was English.  It was a vocabulary lesson with a quiz at the end.  He wasn't very excited about taking the quiz, especially when it was 18 questions long, but I told him it was best to just do it and finish for the day.  When he clicked on it, it said the teacher had dropped the assignment.  His school day was done, and he'd finished everything in 4 hours.  Seriously!  I told him to sit down and either read or watch a documentary; he chose option 2.  Honestly, we could have finished in the early afternoon, had he not started so late and dragged his feet throughout the day.  He's not getting off so easy tomorrow; there's a lot of studying to do for his science exam, and he's got 2 live lessons as well.

My son R was feeling a whole lot better today.  He took Robitussin last night and was able to get a good night's sleep, which he needed in order to recover his energy.  I was so glad, because if he didn't sound better today I was gonna have to send him to the doctor.  Can't be taking any chances with the flu season in full swing.

Speaking of seasons, our rainy season seems to have returned.  We got rain on and off today, though nowhere near what was forecast.  At least there were no thunderstorms.  Yesterday I did my hair, then got caught outside in all that rain and humidity.  I was able to seek cover, but the humidity still did a number on me.  My hair looks awful today.  It's like I haven't washed or styled it in a week.  So not fair.

There really isn't much else to report.  I'm gonna clean up the kitchen, take out some meat, then shower and watch some television.  Hopefully I'll get to bed early tonight and get caught up on my shuteye.  Have a blessed evening everyone.

Monday, Monday

Another week starts, and life goes back to (semi) normal.  School, work, home...it's our routine, yet it's never exactly the same, is it?

Folks don't like Mondays.  They see it as the end of the weekend, the beginning of the work week, back to the old grind, etc, etc.  I don't know why people look at beginnings in such a negative way.  Yes, you will go back to work, or school, or whatever it is that you do when the week begins.  Why is that bad?  Most people like habits, whether they be good or bad.  Your "day off" is over?  Another one will come.  We have to try and be more positive.  Be thankful that you're alive.  Look forward to what can be accomplished.  Set goals, make lists, try something new.  Mondays can be wonderful with the right perspective.

I got up bright and early, knowing that our school week was starting up again and that the semester will be over in less than 3 weeks.  There is plenty to be done, and I'm ready for it (I hope!).  I made breakfast, then went over my son's schedule again.  It was pretty full - 5 classes for today.  We started with music history.  It was a review for his unit exam on Renaissance music.  He actually did pretty well, considering he hasn't even thought about the Renaissance for the past two weeks.  We then went on to English, where he's finishing up his thesis on Letter From Birmingham Jail.  There was a tutorial to watch first, and again he seemed to remember everything that had been taught in the last month.  Yay!  From there he went to his Algebra class, where the teacher was doing a review for his unit test.  He admitted that he didn't remember anything.  Nothing.  I couldn't believe it - math is his favorite subject, especially algebra.  Hmm.  That would require some review time.

While he listened to his algebra class I made smothered pork chops and buttered noodles for lunch.  I like making things that are quick and easy, and this is one of those recipes.  While I had lunch I was looking up ways to reduce the bags under my eyes.  I've been noticing them lately, not dark circles but kind of baggy eyes, and no, they are not attractive.  One video I watched talked about the reasons why we get bags under our eyes:  lack of sleep, and not drinking enough water.  Well, I can understand lack of sleep; having been sick the past few days I wasn't sleeping as I should.  And yes, thinking about it now, I realize I haven't been drinking as much water as I should.  So I'm going to make some adjustments to make sure I get back into a more steady routine.  I think with the holidays, Grandma's passing, and all my sinus congestion (which is greatly reduced today, praise The Lord) my routines have kind of gone out the window.  With school starting back up my hope is that I can schedule myself better with my meals, water intake and sleep.

As my son and I got back to his essay, I got a text from my sister.  My brother was in a car accident.  He's fine, but he says his car was totaled.  It was one of those moments when your heart stops for a split second even though the words "He's fine" are staring right at you.  My brother hasn't been driving very long; he's lived in New York all his life, and with public transportation in the city it's really not necessary to own a vehicle.  He's moving to Ohio in the next few months, though, so he got his license and purchased a car, which he will now have to repair or replace.  I'm just thankful the car took the brunt of the hit - a truck side-swiped him, then left the scene.  I'm sure he's shook up, but he's alive.  That's what matters.

School took 7 hours today, partly because there was a lot of work to be done, and partly because my son was having trouble getting back to the swing of things.  I'm hoping tomorrow is better.  He took a pretest for algebra and got a C.  Not very good, but it showed him where he needs work, and why it's important to check your work.  We will most likely work on math and science the most this week, along with finishing his PE wellness plan assignment, due on the 16th.  For now, I'm gonna shower, then I'm gonna give myself a mani/pedi.  It's been a busy day, and I need some relaxation.  Good night!

Oops, I did it again...

I know, I said I was going to be more consistent with my blogging, and that ended after, what, a couple of posts?  I have thought over and over about things I want to share on my blog, but then I get so busy doing, well, life, and before I know it I'm heading off to bed thinking, "Tomorrow is another day."  So I decided that this month, December, I would do a daily journal to get my blog caught up on everything that's been happening and what my days look like.  This should be interesting.

I should mention now, before I go any further, that this year I began homeschooling my youngest son E.  It has been an enormous blessing to be able to spend this time with him and watch him learn and prosper.  His grades have improved tremendously; he currently has a B+ in Algebra and straight A's in all his other classes.  We are doing Florida Virtual School which is free for Florida residents.  The curriculum is better than what he was learning in class in my opinion, and he can go as fast or as slow as he wants.  He has a schedule of course, but the teachers are much more flexible which is great when dealing with a kid who has mild to moderate dyslexia.  It means more work for me, obviously, but it is so worth it to see him become more confident in himself and actually enjoy learning for a change.

So, my day began like most Mondays.  E was off all last week; it was a catch-up week for virtual school, so if your assignments were up-to-date (which his were), it was a full vacation week (which we both loved).  School started up again this morning, and I got up early to make breakfast and see what his schedule looked like.  I knew he had one online class to attend which was algebra, but I hadn't looked at anything else all week.  We were busy with Thanksgiving, then decorating for Christmas, so school landed on the back burner.  I'd put some sausages to fry on the stove, and biscuits and a hash brown in the toaster oven.  It was 8:30, and my oldest son R had just left for work.  I was tidying up in the living room, when I heard a loud crashing sound.  It sounded like someone's garage door slamming onto the ground.  I looked out the window but saw nothing; then I walked into the kitchen and noticed the stove and microwave were turned off.  So were the Christmas tree lights.  That's when it hit me:  the sound I heard was a transformer.  I immediately called the power company to report it.  They said they'd call back, and they did.  Said it was a transformer (ha! I was right) and that a repair crew was being dispatched to repair it.  We should have power back by 12:30.  Great.  School for us typically starts at 9 am.  That wasn't happening.  But it wasn't too bad; he would just start school a little later.  We could handle that.

I was a bit bummed, though, because I knew today was Beauty Rush day.  I've begun wearing Bare Minerals makeup because as I've gotten older I've noticed changes in my skin, such as more redness and oily/dry spots.  My daughter also has skin issues (roseacea and such), so I wanted makeup that is as natural as possible.  We both fell in love with Bare Minerals and have been using it for the past month or so.  Beauty Rush is Bare Escentuals big online sale that lasts 12 hours (for those who don't know, Bare Escentuals is the company that makes Bare Minerals).  It was starting at noon, which meant I'd be late getting to the sale, but only by a half hour.  I should be good, right?

At about 10:30 we heard truck sounds outside, and sure enough it was the power company.  Awesome!  They were already at work and we would be up and running before the 12:30 deadline we'd been given.  About a half hour later we heard the trucks drive away, but we had no power.  Then I got a call from the power company; it was going to take longer than we'd originally been told.  We'd have power back on around 1:45 pm.  Okay, I figured, a little later than anticipated but hey, we'd already waited this long.  I texted my daughter at work and asked her to bring home some pizzas, as it looked like I wouldn't be making lunch anytime soon.

It was 1:15 pm and we were still in the dark.  Praise God it was a nice day, low 70's and breezy, otherwise we would have baked in the heat.  I called the power company again.  This time I was told the damage was more severe than they'd thought, and a special crew needed to be sent out to make the repairs.  Now we were looking at 5 pm before power would come back.  I was so frustrated!  At 2:30 I watched out the window as the power company came with a crane to remove the burned out transformer and install the new one.  It took 3 hours to get all the work done, so basically we were without power for 9 hours.  Let me just say, I have a new appreciation for electricity.  We had no way to cook; we couldn't open the fridge very often because we didn't want all the cold air to escape; no electricity meant no router and no internet; no television, radio, DVD's, video games... yeah, we depend on electricity a lot.

As soon as the power came back on, I jumped on my phone to see if there was anything good left on the Beauty Rush sale.  Of course, there wasn't.  All the good stuff got snatched up.  I guess God didn't want me spending money on more makeup this month.  I was kind of bummed, but not overly upset.  Which is a big improvement for me.

E got to do a couple of hours of schoolwork once the power came back on.  He completed his music and PE class and, because his live lessons are recorded, was able to watch his algebra class.  Tomorrow will be a busy day of catching up for him.

So that was my Monday.  What started out as a regular day turned into somewhat of an adventure.  God does that to us sometimes.  He changes things around to teach us valuable lessons.  Today's lesson was on patience, and being thankful for the blessing of electricity.  Wonder what He plans to teach me tomorrow?  Can't wait to find out!

Move It Mondays

Good morning, and welcome to the beginning of Holy Week.  We are taking time to celebrate the greatest gift ever given, eternal life through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If you haven't accepted this gift, let me encourage you to do so.  It's free!  Jesus paid the price for your sins; no one has ever loved you more.  Take a moment to thank Him, and to accept the gift of salvation.  It's a decision you will never regret.

I had a busy weekend and now have a busy week ahead of me.  Saturday was cleaning day, and boy did I do some major cleaning!  Even Molly got her much needed bath, which the weather and schedule finally allowed for.  Palm Sunday we went to church and enjoyed listening to an excellent sermon by our new pastor.  This man is seriously on fire for the Lord!  It is encouraging as well as convicting to hear him speak.  I'm so looking forward to Good Friday and Easter Sunday!

I didn't get my shopping completed this weekend because of all the other stuff going on, so I'm making a Walmart run this morning.  There are some special things I need to buy to make my oldest son's birthday cake on Wednesday.  My baby will be turning 26 (where has the time gone?!) and I have been wanting to try this recipe for a cream cheese pound cake made from scratch.  All I need to buy is the cake flour and the cream cheese, so I'm going for it.  Once I get back from Walmart, I need to get the master bathroom cleaned up.  It was the only thing I had planned to do on Saturday that didn't get done.  I sort of put it off, since bathroom cleaning is my least favorite chore (when will someone invent a self-cleaning bathroom?  Please!).  I'll be making steak today, possibly pepper steak or just plain old steak with rice.  Let's see if I find some nice peppers at the store.

Tomorrow I'm volunteering at the church office.  We've been filling bags with candy to give out on Easter Sunday.  There are just over 500 bags filled, and another 300 to go.  There are also some paper bag puppets being made to give out to the preschoolers.  I helped trace lion's manes last week which my daughter cut out, and we still have the lambs to be made.  It's a lot of work but a joy to see the children's faces light up at the simple gifts.

Wednesday is R's birthday, and the day will be dedicated to spending time with him.  I'm sure his friends will come over, so I hope the cake turns out good!  I hope to barbecue some chicken that day, though it's supposed to be cold.  Our weather this month has been absolutely bi-polar.  This weekend temps were in the mid to upper 80's.  It's already 75 degrees now, but the weather is scheduled to take a turn, with temps dropping into the 50's tonight and 40's tomorrow night!  It's hard to decide what to wear when the weather is so crazy.  I just hope we don't get rain on Wednesday.

Thursday should be an interesting day.  I finally got the update from the IRS - our refund will be credited to our account on March 28!  Saturday I got a letter from H&R Block stating that the IRS had issues with returns containing form 8863, which is the Education Credit.  Since my daughter was in school last spring I took the credit, and that's what was holding up my refund.  Thankfully there were no errors on my part (that was what concerned me the most), and the money should be in the bank this week.  Thank You Jesus!

Good Friday will be a day of meditating on the Lord's sacrifice.  We will be in church at noon for Good Friday service and communion, then spending time in the Word.  It's a time for reflection; does my life show my gratitude for what Christ has done for me?

Saturday night I've been asked by my old church to help out in children's ministry.  They are short-handed because so many people are on vacation this week.  I volunteered to teach the 2nd and 3rd graders, and I have to prepare for that.  Honestly, I haven't even read the lesson yet :(.  I will get to it though, I promise.

Easter Sunday we have no big plans other than church on Sunday morning.  Since my daughter interns at her church she will most likely be gone the entire day.  Easter Sunday is a day of celebration, so we will most likely celebrate the way I love most - barbecuing!  Perhaps the Lord will bring a family in need to us to share our gratitude with.  I'm certainly open to whatever He sends my way.

Well, I'd better get a move on.  As you can see, I'm not kidding about being busy!  Take some time to reflect on God's goodness every chance you get.  He loves you, and wants only the best for you.  Have a blessed week.

Monday Quiz About Me

Welcome to Monday Quiz About Me - hosted by Acting Balanced and Touristic.

Here are FOUR QUESTIONS that everyone can answer and then you have the option to add a fifth question of your own for those who are visiting your blog to answer in the comment section, along with commenting on the four standard questions you answered!  Here we go:


1. When would you consider planting flowers or vegetables at your residence?
Since it looks like the rainy season may start a bit early, it would do me good to start planting soon.

2. What is more egregious; cheating on one's spouse or spending the family into being bankruptcy?
Both destroy trust in a marriage and family relationships.  I would stay away from both.

3. In honor of Pi Day this week, what is your favorite kind of pie?
Apple crumb pie, warm with some vanilla ice cream on top and perhaps a drizzle of caramel...oh, yeah.

4. Would would you give Wayne @ Touristic for his birthday today?
I thought Wayne had everything he could ever wish for ;-).  How about a trip to Barnes and Noble where he could get all the books his heart desires?  (That would be a dream come true for me!)

And now my fifth question:

5.  I recently went to see one of my absolute favorite bands, Casting Crowns, in concert.  What band would you like to see in concert?

Monday Quiz About Me

Welcome to Monday Quiz About Me - hosted by Acting Balanced and Touristic.

Here are FOUR QUESTIONS that everyone can answer and then you have the option to add a fifth question of your own for those who are visiting your blog to answer in the comment section, along with commenting on the four standard questions you answered!  Here are my four:


1. Which are you better at: Reading, Writing or Math?
If I put them in order, for me it would be writing, reading, math.  I love to write and I'm a bit of a grammar nazi.  Reading is also big for me, though lately I find my eyes get tired quickly.  I've always been pretty good at math, but now that my son is working on geometry I find I'm not as good as I thought.

2. Tell us a good 'come back' story. Where you were down but were able to reverse fortunes and come out on top.
I have several, but I don't know that I have enough time or space to go into detail.  Let's just say that God has been very good to me on numerous occasions.

3. Which would you rather do: dine or eat?
I suppose this means dine out or eat in.  If that's the case, I prefer to eat in.  I enjoy dining out occasionally, but I guess I just feel most comfortable in my own home.

4. What is one thing the someone close to you does that just annoys the heck out of you?
My son will take off his shoes when he gets home from anywhere, and leave them under the coffee table in the family room.  No matter how many times I remind him, they will appear there again and again.  Right now his slippers are under there.  Ugh!!

And now my question:

5.  What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
I really want to visit Washington DC and see all the historical sights.  Money holds me back, but I won't lose hope.

Monday Quiz About Me

Welcome to Monday Quiz About Me - hosted by Acting Balanced and Touristic

Here are FOUR QUESTIONS that everyone can answer and then you have the option to add a fifth question of your own for those who are visiting your blog to answer in the comment section, along with commenting on the four standard questions you answered!  Here I go:


1.  If you could go to any festival or event in the world; which one would you choose?
I would have liked to have gone to the South Beach Food and Wine festival this weekend on Miami Beach.  Maybe one year I'll make it.

2. What is the first sign you see that tells you spring is near?
The snowbirds fly back to Canada, and the rainy season starts.

3. When you were in school did you do your projects as soon as they were assigned or as close to the last minute as possible?
I have to admit, I procrastinated often on certain assignments.  If it was a book report I usually got it done on time because I love reading, but science was put on the back burner more often than not.

4. Would you rather have the power to be invisible or the power to read minds?
Invisibility for me, thank you.  I don't want to see what's going on in people's minds.

And now my fifth question:

5. If your house were on fire, what would be the first thing you grab? (This was an ongoing discussion on the radio this morning).
After seeing to my kids and our dog, I'd grab the cell phone so I can call 911!

Monday Quiz About Me

Welcome to Monday Quiz About Me - hosted by Acting Balanced and Touristic

Here are FOUR QUESTIONS that everyone can answer and then you have the option to add a fifth question of your own for those who are visiting your blog to answer in the comment section, along with commenting on the four standard questions you answered!  Here are my answers:


1. Who was the last person you said 'I love you to?'
That would be my youngest son, after I said Good Night.

2. What was the last non-kid friendly movie you saw?
Gone With The Wind.  It was on Turner Classic Movies the other night.  It's about as kid unfriendly as I get.

3. When was the last time you got angry about something that you felt silly about later?
I usually feel silly about getting angry, especially if it's something my youngest son is doing just because he's a new teenager and is getting into the role.  He can be annoying but it's not worth getting angry over.

4. Where is your favorite object at this moment?
My Nook.  I want to read at least one book a month, and the Nook makes it easy (and affordable).

Now my question:

5.  Do you think of President's Day as a true holiday or just a retailer's gimmick?
I'd like to think of President's Day as a day to show appreciation for the men who have led our country, but just as with so many other holidays, it's become nothing more than a day to get good deals at car dealerships and stores.  Gone are the days when stores actually closed on holidays and gave their employees a break. :(

Monday Quiz About Me

Welcome to Monday Quiz About Me - hosted by Acting Balanced and Touristic

Here are FOUR QUESTIONS that everyone can answer and then you have the option to add a fifth question of your own for those who are visiting your blog to answer in the comment section, along with commenting on the four standard questions you answered!


Here are this week's Questions:

1. Are you good about going to the doctor?
No, I'm not.  I really should be more conscientious about it, but I hate sitting in the doctor's office for what seems like an eternity for something minor.  I have to be really sick to drag myself to the doctor's office.

2. What do you think about the practice of restaurants adding automatic tips for large groups or specific events?
It was always my understanding that a tip was given based on the service provided.  For excellent service, a waiter/waitress could expect an excellent tip; for lousy service, a lousy or no tip.  It seems to me that adding the tip automatically isn't much of an incentive for a service provider to provide the best service possible.

3. When was the last time you went out for dinner?
It was in December, for my birthday.  We typically don't go out for dinner; when we do go out it's for lunch, since lunch menus tend to be cheaper.

4. What is your best budget saving tip for recovering from an unexpected expense or planning for one?
Before spending money on something, ask yourself:  is this a need, or a want?  Stick to buying only what you need.  There will be time later on for the wants.

And now my question:

5.  Did you watch any part of the Super Bowl last night?
I watched absolutely zero.  Nothing.  Nada.  I didn't even find out who won till this morning.  And what's more, I don't feel like I missed out.

Move It Mondays

Happy Monday to all!  I'm feeling kind of lazy today, probably because I woke up at 4:20am and tossed and turned till 6:20 when I had to get up :P.  I've had that happen lately, where I wake up an hour or two before I need to and can't fall back asleep.  I hate when that happens.

I had a breakfast of waffles and bacon this morning.  After taking my son to school on this cold, crisp Monday (it was 55 degrees out, and in South Florida that is considered really cold) I went to the bank to make a quick deposit.  All the way I noticed the light on my car:  low tire pressure.  The same thing happened to my daughter the other day and she took care of it herself with a small generator her dad bought her while she was away at school.  I would fill up the tires myself, but she has gone to work at the church office and of course the generator is in her car.  I guess it'll have to wait till she gets back.

We're having steak today.  With rice and beans and tater tots and salad.  A nice well balanced meal.  Yum.

I'm also working on our taxes today.  Not quite as fun, but it needs to be done.

I'm hoping y'all have a blessed Monday.  Rejoice!  I say again, Rejoice!

Monday Quiz About Me

It is Monday, right?  Good!  Welcome to Monday Quiz About Me - hosted by Acting Balanced and Touristic.

Here are FOUR QUESTIONS that everyone can answer and then I add a fifth question of my own for those who are visiting my blog to answer in the comment section, along with commenting on the four standard questions I answered!  Here we go:


1. On a long road trip do you prefer to be the driver or a passenger? Or do you prefer to travel a different way all together?
That's easy.  Long or short, I'd rather be the passenger on a road trip and not the driver.  I enjoy traveling by car, I just prefer not to drive.

2. Do you use a slow cooker? Favorite thing to make?
Oh yeah!  Best appliance in the kitchen!  My favorite thing to make is jambalaya.  I add chicken, smoked sausage (kielbasa) and shrimp.  Delicious!

3. Which type of festival would you rather go to... Wine and Food, Music or Sports?
Music, especially if my daughter is playing :)

4. What is your favorite fallacy?
"Favorite" fallacy?  I don't know if I have a favorite.  Fallacies are falsehoods, and I don't like falsehoods.

And my question:

5.  Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl?
Okay, I'm gonna be honest here.  I only know the Super Bowl is this Sunday because it was mentioned at church yesterday.  I don't even know who's playing in the Super Bowl.  I'm hoping the answers here will shed some light. :)

Move It Mondays

Happy last Monday in January!  Wow, I'm amazed at how this month has zipped by!  It's late in the afternoon but I wanted to give a little rundown of how my day has gone thus far.

After my pumpkin spice Eggo waffle with bacon this morning (I can't believe they're still in the stores!) and dropping my son off at school, I was determined to get some work done around the house.  Last week I was running in and out everyday with errands and I missed being home getting things done.  I mopped the family room, kitchen, living room and hallway floors.  I vacuumed the furniture (it gets filled with dog hair, ugh) and polished the wood tables.  I put some crushed tomatoes in the crock pot early in the morning, and to that I added homemade meatballs which we had with spaghetti, garlic bread and salad.  Yum!

Then I started working on our taxes.  Do you feel the gloom entering the room?  I remember a time when I would spend and hour, maybe an hour and a half with interruptions, doing our taxes and be done with them in no time.  Today I spent about 2 hours on them so far and I'm still not done!  Yes, I use H & R Block software and it helps make it easier.  It's just that there is so much information and so many credits/deductions/taxes, and it feels like they change things every year!  Believe it or not, after 2 hours I've had to stop because I need my daughter's college forms before I can finish entering everything.  I also want to see my daughter's return and if it isn't more advantageous for her to put the college deductions on her return instead of ours.  She hasn't even gotten her W-2's yet, so I'm at a standstill.  That's okay, though.  At least I got a good portion of it done.  I'm ahead of the game.

We had an awesome service at church yesterday.  Our pastor was back at his old church doing some work that needed to get finished, but he left a short video introducing a couple of men from our church who gave amazing testimonies of how God uses even our pain to bring blessings.  One of our pastors has MS and he talked about the struggles he faced but also the help from the church and his family.  He now travels throughout the United States talking to folks about what he's been through and how Jesus Christ has given him joy in his pain.  He even speaks in public schools!  The other gentleman is a security guard at the school.  At 7 months of age he had to have an operation to drain the fluid he had in his brain.  As he describes it, his head was the size of a watermelon and his body was like a carrot.  The doctors told his parents that if he survived he'd be a vegetable.  Today he is 40 years old, married and a father of 2.  Sadly, his body is riddled with terminal cancer, but he continues to trust in the Lord and teaches Sunday school to the middle schoolers.  It was heartwarming to listen to these men.  Rather than being angry or bitter because of their circumstances, they encourage others to follow Jesus because in the end, our lives here are temporary.  This earth is not our eternal home.  We choose heaven or hell when we accept or reject Jesus.  The beauty of it, is that once Jesus is Lord of our lives, even in the trials we have peace.  That's something only the Holy Spirit can bestow.

I pray everyone has a productive and joy-filled Monday.  God bless!

Monday Quiz About Me

My Mondays have been crazy this new year, and I haven't had a chance to do my Monday quiz post.  Today is a new day, and even though I'm getting ready to take my daughter in for her CT scan, I have just enough time to join Heather and Wayne for 4 questions plus one of my own for you to answer in the comment section.  Join us at Acting Balanced.


Here are the Questions:

1. What was your favorite lunch this past week?
I made kielbasa sausage fried up with onions and tomato sauce, rice with mixed veggies and tater tots.  I love the way the kielbasa tastes with the rice.

2. Do you shop online?
Yes, but typically only on Amazon.  I can find pretty much everything there at the best price.

3. Do you get the "Winter Blues"?
Weather in South Florida is the same most of the year.  We are currently in the upper 70's and lower 80's most days.  So for us winter blues would be wishing for some winter weather, but not too harsh.  Floridians don't do well in temps below 50 degrees.

4. Slippers, Socks, Shoes or Bare Feet?
What category do flip-flops fall under?  Because I wear those 24/7.

And now for my question:

5.  When did you have your wisdom teeth removed, or do you still have them?
I had my first wisdom tooth removed when I was 19.  It was impacted and infected so the dentist focused on that tooth alone.  I finally had the last ones removed when I was in my mid 30's.  That's how unpleasant the experience was.